LOS ANGELES – If anybody remembers the 1995 film “Apollo 13” about NASA’s ill-fated moon mission in 1970 starring Tom Hanks as astronaut Jim Lovell, there was a key line at the end of the movie, where Lovell describes the mission as a “successful failure.” The mission was a failure because their spacecraft was unable to land on the moon but a success in that all crew members made it back home alive.
(Courtesy of ‘Captain Darrow’)
Like that failed moon mission, the 2021 Los Angeles Dodgers could also be viewed as a “successful failure.”
The Dodgers were recently eliminated by the Atlanta Braves in six games in the National League Championship Series ending their shot at repeating as champions.
(Courtesy of MLB)
Because they didn’t win another World Series, most will consider this season a failure. When you take into account the talent, depth, and experience of the roster combined with the lofty expectations and high standard they’ve set the past nine seasons, losing in the LCS is a fairly large disappointment.
However, one must also look at this season in its entirety and consider everything this embattled Dodgers team had to face, and where they still ended up and find solace in that success.
In a year where everyone thought this team was going to roll through the league, the Dodgers faced adversity in the form of numerous injuries to star players, having to deal with a star pitcher facing off-the-field issues, a much more competitive division, and a tougher road to navigate through the playoffs.
The Dodgers won 106 games, tying a franchise record set back in 2019. Keep in mind, they won 106 having to deal with injuries to stars like Corey Seager, Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger, and Dustin May while losing Max Muncy and Clayton Kershaw in the final days of the regular season to forearm injuries and unavailable in the playoffs.
(Courtesy of Infield Base Hit)
They won 106 despite having to deal with a resurgent San Francisco Giants team that set a new franchise-record with 107 wins and were the best team during the regular season, thus intercepting the NL West Division crown from the Dodgers.
(Courtesy of MLB Network)
They won 106 even after reigning Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer, their big free agent acquisition, was away from the team after dealing with sexual assault allegations and not having him in the final three months of the season. His future with the Dodgers and in the league is definitely in jeopardy pending the findings of this MLB investigation.
They won 106 despite losing 15 out of 20 games in late April into early May mostly in one run games and extra innings games. They were consistently getting burned by the ghost runner at second base.
The most impressive was they won 106 with a wildly inconsistent offense that seemed to go boom or bust even when healthy. This star-studded lineup struggled to manufacture runs and never got into a rhythm when it came to situational hitting especially with men in scoring position. That issue followed them into October.
Perhaps the biggest issue was they weren’t awarded for winning 106 games. Their failed pursuit of a ninth consecutive division title led to a showdown with the surging St. Louis Cardinals in a winner-take-all Wild Card game at Dodger Stadium.
After Chris Taylor’s two-run walk-off home run propelled them to the NLDS, waiting for them was their longtime rival Giants who had home field advantage in the best-of-five series. The Dodgers would outlast the number one overall seed defeating them in their house, but it was a physically and mentally draining series forcing key players to expend more energy (like starters Max Scherzer and Julio Urias coming out of the bullpen in Game 5).
The Dodgers’ pitching was their anchor all season long. An area that has long been an issue through their postseason runs was the strength for LA particularly their bullpen which consistently delivered in the biggest spots throughout the season and playoffs.
In the end, they simply didn’t have enough to overcome any more adversity when facing the Braves. Their offense was too spotty, their rotation was fatigued (ask Scherzer), the injuries continued in the NLCS and raided their depth and versatility. All of these issues seemed to have a ripple effect on this squad.
Maybe manager Dave Roberts could’ve executed things differently considering the lack of depth, but overall he navigated the Dodgers through some rough waters all year long with his high IQ and positive demeanor.
The baseball Gods simply worked against the Dodgers this year and in a sport like baseball, you need talent and depth but also some luck. As we know, the MLB playoffs are a crap shoot, which makes them so exciting: they are unpredictable, and the best team doesn’t always end up on top.
Even with the Dodgers’ disappointing end to a roller coaster season and a murky future with several significant free agents, fans and media should take solace in knowing this group displayed championship resolve in the face of numerous obstacles that continually piled up.
While the failure lies in an earlier exit and no World Series trophy, the success lies in a fantastic season that should’ve been much worse considering all of the issues they faced.
Much like that Apollo 13 mission, the Dodgers’ mission of a championship repeat failed but still many moments to be proud of and appreciate.
